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As well as representing France at Euro 2016, Paris Saint-Germain striker PSG midfielder Antoine Griezmann returned home to meet his old Marseille boss, Didier Deschamps, at the Parc des Princes for a presentation.
There was no love lost between the two – PSG claimed they did not have a contract with the reigning Ligue 1 champions after Marseille cut Griezmann in half and he signed a four-year contract with the club in November.
“It’s not the first time that Marseille have taken a player away from Ligue 1, especially one that costs €100 million,” Griezmann said. “A month is a year and a year is a season.”
It was Griezmann’s fourth time meeting Deschamps – he went to watch him at Monaco at the 2006 World Cup and also made a surprise visit to Paris’ Rodeo Drive on the eve of the 2013 Champions League final, to congratulate the team on their comeback win over Barcelona.
While he made himself scarce when the club came calling and Griezmann was replaced by Edinson Cavani, one of his former Ligue 1 team-mates – the Uruguayan footballer has also claimed that Marseille tried to sign him in January.
But with more than six months of limbo, Griezmann has started to show his true colours again. And he has not been shy about giving his feelings after his meeting with Deschamps, who has had some of his fair share of problems with the French press.
“When I was young, Didier made me laugh and make me cry,” said Griezmann. “He was always on my side. He was always helping me. When I was an 18-year-old kid, he was always there to push me when I needed to.
“So it was a pleasure to meet him again. He’s the best president in the history of football. We were happy to meet each other.
“He helped me when I was young, he’s always helped me. A man who gave me a great path to live. I had a wonderful time while I was with him.”
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